GliveCo Reviews

John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA (2024– )

A show for people who enjoy the moment.

[8/10 · 10 May 2024]

All the negative or confused reviewers are looking for something that they're not supposed to find: a consistent format.

The show is live, it's meant to be random, fun and slightly imperfect - almost like humans used to be. The phone calls and discussion leave so much room for improv - that's where the fun is, that's where the thrill is. We're all experiencing the show together, it's intimate, it's real, it's not overly polished or saturated like a pre-recorded nightly talk-show that has 5 hours to edit their episode before it airs.

This is a show for the people who go to a concert but leave their cellphone in their pocket and enjoy the moment.

FUBAR (2023– )

If an Austrian Oak falls in the forest, does it make a sound?

[1/10 · 26 May 2023]

I'm not sure where it all went wrong for Arnie. I've been a fan all my life. Growing up on his action films and then his comedy films with Ivan Reitman. I could go on about his string of duds but I'll stick to the show itself.

Nobody would give this show a second look if it didn't have Arnold Schwarzenegger's name on it. Like most things the streamers put out, it feels like it's been focus-grouped to death. There is "something in there for everybody" except the show doesn't do anything particularly well. The writing is bad, the characters are one-dimensional, it's Arnie and a bunch of nobodies and Jay Baruchel pops up every once in awhile but I get the sense, being a nerd himself, he jumped at the chance to work with Arnold but overall wants little to do with this series.

The show forces these generic pop culture references with no real depth. The daughter is way too dramatic and they're tapping into that strained father/child past trauma stuff way too much because that's "in" now.

Uninspired sets, generic locations. Someone at Netflix seems to have a hard-on for Fortune Feimster because they're just shoving Fortune into everything and none of it works. Fortune is box office poison, I'm sorry. Gonna be up there with Pauly Shore and Carrot Top.

I won't be watching anymore, I'd rather watch Arnie's classics again. Kindergarten Cop is getting a 4K release this summer and Arnie would do better recording a commentary for that than releasing this dribble.

Arnie tricked Stallone into making Stop or My Mom Will Shoot, but now it's like Stallone's success with Tulsa King made Schwarzenegger rush into any production. Arnie's judgment is off, just like when he hosted the Apprentice. You have limited years left, and this is what you decide to do? I'll always love Arnold, him and Willis really turned to crap films toward the end of their careers, at least Willis has an excuse.

Aquaman (2018)

Just buy a Jason Momoa swimsuit calendar

[1/10 · 21 March 2023]

Who writes and watches this crap? Their target audience must be over medicated stay-at-home-moms who need to kill 2+ hours of their xanax filled afternoon. I don't even know where to begin, fire under water? It's just one big long bloodless fight and the whole movie feels like a video game cut scene. There is nothing of value here. It is the worst kind of crap. If you enjoy this film, talk to your doctor.

Like every super hero movie, none of the real characters are in any danger. There are just new henchmen next to the main villain who can die in the fight and both the hero and villain can walk away and meet to fight again in another 10 minutes. Garbage. Straight garbage.

The Public (2018)

It's not your gang, Dave

[7/10 · 26 February 2023]

Great premise. Great production design. Perfectly cast. Fairly well written. I don't agree with every creative choice the filmmakers made. The movie left me wanting more, I kept waiting for things to go to another level or escalate a bit more, I appreciate the characters and the subject matter. I didn't want a brawl, I didn't want the film to turn into John Q but I was hoping it would build more pressure, or do a little more, it IS a movie after all. Good movie overall, worth watching, left me wanting more. Give Estevez more money, make sure the 3rd act is worthy of the first and second act. Best $1.80 I ever spent.

The Estate (II) (2022)

Actually pretty funny

[7/10 · 29 November 2022]

I went into this with not much hope. Though some of the scenes are predictable, I give the script and actors credit for going all out in some of the outrageous parts. The movie isn't a record breaker but it was a damn funny change of pace. Everyone plays their part to perfection. Reminds me of Eulogy (2004) or Home For The Holidays (1995) or even Greedy (1994). Definitely should be in the high sixes on IMDb.

I give particular praise to the dialogue, Duchovny has some great lines as does Faris & Toni Collete. Should also point out it has similar vibes to Little Miss Sunshine. If you enjoy the interactions of characters, you'll enjoy this.

Licence to Kill (1989)

Joel Silver Presents: James Bond

[8/10 · 7 December 2021]

Licence to Kill all the ingredients of a typical '80s actioner: cocaine, a Michael Kamen score, exotic locations, heavy duty action set pieces, and a hero going rogue. The problem is it was a James Bond film, and Bond fans weren't ready to see their hero get down and dirty.

This is as close as it gets to a James Bond film produced by Joel Silver (famous for Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, Exit Wounds, Demolition Man). Unfortunately, the film does come off as a bit of a clunker. It seems like MGM/UA was in dire straits financially, and some of that carries over on screen.

However, a great cast including Dalton's Bond, newcomer Carey Lowell as the charming and tough Pam Bouvier, and strong supporting cast of villains like Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Zerbe, Everett McGill and the main heavy played by Robert Davi, do a pretty good job keeping the film respectable. It's also nice to see other '80s regulars Frank McRae and Grand L. Bush showing up and contributing, it would have been nice to see more of them.

The story sees Bond going rogue, out for revenge after a fellow agent from the American side of the pond is widowed and left for dead. It definitely breaks the mold as far as Bond films were going, but it's closer to the films source novels than most Bond purists care to admit. For those who love 80s actioners, which were plentiful back then, this is definitely the Bond outing for you and a great introduction to the franchise as a whole. However, Bond movie purists beware, this is not the happy go-lucky cheerful Roger Moore of days gone. Bad things can happen, and the hazards are very real in this iteration of Bond. Nobody is safe.

Finch (2021)

Apple wants us to bond with our technology

[6/10 · 6 November 2021]

This was a mediocre post apocalyptic adventure. Definitely feels like a combination of popular films that have come out since 2000. Hanks' performance is appropriate, though not his best, its still good to see him. It just didn't break new ground and I can't help but feel like there was a very significant sub plot eliminated so we could focus more on a human's relationship with technology. Furthermore, it just feels like Apple's sad attempt at using America's Mr. Likeable to grease the wheels on our admiration, dependence and emotional bond with our hardware and operating systems. It is what it is, I guess.

All the Way Boys (1972)

Watch the longer cut

[6/10 · 12 August 2021]

On my first viewing, I sought out an HD version of the film, it had a run time of 90 mins, it was a great film from the duo of Bud Spencer and Terence Hill except when the final act began, there were obvious and horrible cuts to the movie, I couldn't even tell what was happening anymore. I will seek out the longer version. Great film, but the last act on the short version makes no sense, why would they even release this cut version?

Nobody (I) (2021)

You've seen it before...

[4/10 · 15 April 2021]

Yes, that's right: you've seen it before. John Wick, The Equalizer, Taken, The Accountant, Shoot 'Em Up, The Transporter, The Mechanic, Jack Reacher, the list goes on with some hits but mostly boring retreads, and sadly, Odenkirk's first outing as an action hero falls into the latter category. Replace a dead dog with a stolen kitty bracelent, throw in a muscle car (a 4.9L? ...really?) and you've got Nobody.

The film opens with Odenkirk seemingly living the same mundane day over and over, a la Groundhog Day, so the audience of working suckers (us) can immediately identify with his character. Insert a twist, a home burglary, to finally break the camels back, and awaken the killing machine that is Odenkirk.

The movie is rife with contradictions, like Odenkirk's family's basement/safe room, which also doubles as a special bone deleting furnace. The movie has the same cliche of an army of faceless hitmen encroaching on Odenkirk's suburban home, only for him to encounter them 2 at a time until they're all gone.

I won't bore you with the middle, except that the movie's climax takes place at Odenkirk's work, a generic machine shop warehouse facility, where one of his former partners in crime has gained access and set up a barrage of silly Home Alone traps that Odenkirk's character is already aware of.

Don't get me wrong, I love watching Bob Odenkirk, he is DEFINITELY leading man material, and he does a great job playing the character written for him here, the problem with this film is the writing. Out of everything that gets broken in the movie, none of it is new ground. Watch it, but just for Odenkirk's character, don't expect much else.

The Movies That Made Us (2019–2021)

Informative, entertaining, but...

[9/10 · 10 December 2020]

Great idea for a series, and the interviews were well done. I watched these multiple times, except the Dirty Dancing, episode. I want to see more movies. Jaws, Indiana Jones, Back to The Future, The Breakfast Club, Lethal Weapon...there is so much to pick from... but get rid of that narrator, it's like I'm stuck watching that crap TMZ show.

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop (2011)

Bridging the gap

[10/10 · 18 August 2019]

For those who were around during that special time, 2010, when Conan was handed the keys to the kingdom, only to have the powers at NBC rescind on their deal 7 months later, you remember. Those great few weeks where Conan gave the audience some of the best shows we've ever seen, before being banished from the airwaves for several months as part of his obligation to his agreement and settlement for leaving The Tonight Show. What do you do when you're not allowed on the air? You go to the stage. From the moment Conan signed off after his star-filled rendition of Free Bird, until the hilarious cold-open of his new TBS show "Conan", this docimentary stylistically, but truthfully, follows Conan on his tour before finally heading to TBS.

Club Paradise (1986)

Subtle humor from Williams, the rest.. meh.

[7/10 · 16 June 2019]

Hard to believe this is an '80s Ramis film. It's more or less exactly what you'd expect, except a little bit less. Williams is probably the best part of the film, and he's actually quite restrained considering this is a comedic film. The cast is stellar, but it just seems like most of them are given nothing to do. Both Levy and Moranis are funny in their bit parts, but are extremely one dimensional, as are Gross and Robin Duke. They really only have a couple scenes.

Andrea Martin's physical comedy was a bit funny, but also predictable and over the top. It felt like Joe Flaherty did a cameo, then decided to appear in a few more scenes just for the hell of it. The rivalry between Kampmann and Williams was pretty funny, Kampmann does a pretty good job with the lines and scenes he was given.

Twiggy, she showed up in The Blues Brothers for a moment, and then was the lead romantic interest in this movie, then just kinda, vanished. You might doubt her and Williams chemistry, but they actually make a pretty fun couple and she plays the down to earth, ex-party girl grown up pretty well.

Jimmy Cliff also performs decently here, there are plenty of opportunities to display is musical prowess, you must watch carefully during the opening credits to see his and Williams buddy-relationship blossom as Williams adjusts to life in the tropics, it gives their relationship a little more depth and helps to understand why Williams' character backs Cliff's.

Peter O'Toole and Brian Doyle-Murray are peppered throughout the movie for seasoning, as is Joanna Cassidy, who starts off as a guest but quickly becomes a side-piece to O'Toole.

The movie itself is fun but forgettable unless you're nostalgic for '80s comedies. The scenery and locales are beautiful.

Williams' accomodations and the blue water are beautiful, historians will note that Port Antonio's Navy Island was still quite well developed and inhabited in 1986, however the island is now completely abandoned today. The island is of historical significance and was once home to Errol Flynn.

If you have any interest in Ramis', Williams, career or the cast of SCTV, or just enjoy the '80s nostalgia feeling, this movie should be somewhere on your watchlist on a rainy afternoon, but don't expect it to smash any records for laughs.

Dragged Across Concrete (2018)

Don't bother... it was so bad I'd prefer to be dragged across concrete

[4/10 · 7 April 2019]

When I first saw what I thought was a flawless combination of writer/director and star power, ended in disappointment. I waited patiently for a year for this film.

Zahler, known for his slow burning films, helms a lackluster and stagnant film, with no real poignant moments, no turning points or revelations, just a collection of scenes, most often with pointless dialog, creating a runtime that rivals Heat and Goodfellas, but with content more like The Way of The Gun and Killing Them Softly.

This film will fade into obscurity and discount shelves everywhere, the producers were right not to give it a wide release. Someone needs to tell Zahler, that if you're going to make a movie this long, it might be a good idea to put something in it.

Gibson and Vaughn did fine with the material they were handed, but editing and some story elements doomed this ship as soon as it left port.

The villains were dry and there was discernible about them, I couldn't even tell how many there were for awhile.

**spoilers**

Creative scenes included an interrogation early on in the film, the bank robbery scene, and that was it. It felt like Carpenter's character was just dropped in at the last moment to give her career a kick start, she's great but she had no reason to be there. Don Johnson was fine. The only character I enjoyed, really, was the bank manager, he felt like something out of a Coen Brothers film.

Finally, the standoff at the end lasted way too long, it was neat to see them strategize and improvise their situation, there was a nice twist with the hostage, though one could see it coming, there was a terrible continuity error in regards to the final getaway vehicle that took me out of the experience.

Don't bother with this one, folks, it really was two and a half hours of being dragged across concrete.

The Town (2010)

Heat, Goodfellas, The Town

[10/10 · 4 February 2019]

An immediate crime-drama classic. Follows along right where Michael Mann seems to have left the genre.

This is how movies are made, everyone stand back, Ben Affleck is taking over the next generation of crime-drama.